After 100 years, the iPhone gives Skee Ball a boost

With masked men in Florida robbing Chuck E. Cheese restaurants at gunpoint, Freeverse Inc. offers a more convenient (and safer) place to play at least one classic childhood game. Also available for iPod touch, Skee-Ball (99 cents) gives you nine balls to toss down the lane, up the ramp and into one of seven holes. […]

With masked men in Florida robbing Chuck E. Cheese restaurants at gunpoint, Freeverse Inc. offers a more convenient (and safer) place to play at least one classic childhood game.

Also available for iPod touch, Skee-Ball (99 cents) gives you nine balls to toss down the lane, up the ramp and into one of seven holes. The faster you flick, the harder your throw. You can also tilt your phone to put spin on the ball, which is perfect for aiming at those 100-point corner shots.

The 3D interface is clean and responsive; however, sometimes the screen freezes forcing you to restart the app.

This is good ole’ fashion 100-year-old Skee-Ball, void of all wacky adaptations bored iPhone app designers constantly use to spice up their games (sorry, you won’t be skee-balling in space or an active volcano). The one added feature allows you to score bonus points by sinking a ball into highlighted cups as a yellow light fades in and out periodically.

Of course you get tickets that you can exchange for strange prizes. A fake mustache costs 40 tickets, but the 42-inch Plasma HDTV will cost a whopping 8,008 tickets.

The app even lets you brag to your friends via e-mail, just in case you know anyone who would be jealous knowing that you’re the proud owner of a Chinese finger trap (10 tickets).